Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

shanty

1 American  
[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /

noun

plural

shanties

  1. a crudely built hut, cabin, or house.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or constituting a shanty or shanties.

    a shanty quarter outside the town walls.

  2. of a low economic or social class, especially when living in a shanty.

    shanty people.

verb (used without object)

shantied, shantying

  1. to inhabit a shanty.

shanty 2 American  
[shan-tee] / ˈʃæn ti /
Also chanty, sometimes shantey

noun

plural

shanties

  1. a sailors' song, especially one sung in rhythm to work.

shanty 1 British  
/ ˈʃæntɪ /

noun

  1. a ramshackle hut; crude dwelling

  2. a public house, esp an unlicensed one

    1. a log bunkhouse at a lumber camp

    2. the camp itself

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
shanty 2 British  
/ ˈʃæntɪ, ˈʃæntɪ, ˈtʃæn- /

noun

  1. a song originally sung by sailors, esp a rhythmic one forming an accompaniment to work

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shantylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shanty1

1810–20; probably < Canadian French chantier lumber camp, hut; French: yard, depot, gantry, stand for barrels < Latin cant ( h ) ērius rafter, prop, literally, horse in poor condition, nag < Greek kanthḗlios pack ass

Origin of shanty2

First recorded 1855–60; alteration of French chanter “to sing”; chant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.

From BBC

Among the musical performers are Melua, choristers from Westminster Abbey and a Cornish sea shanty group, Fisherman's Friends, who said the invitation to sing was "the icing on the cake for us".

From BBC

Mr Cleave said since the group had received the request by phone last week they had been practising the shanty in readiness, but he could not disclose which song it was.

From BBC

Only days earlier, Typhoon Kalmaegi sent floodwaters rushing through the towns and cities of Cebu province, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and massive shipping containers.

From Barron's

Earlier this week, Typhoon Kalmaegi sent floodwaters rushing through the towns and cities of Cebu province, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and massive shipping containers.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.